精加工策略在中学英语词汇教学中的应用

论文总字数：24594字

摘 要

我们都知道，词汇教学是英语教学中不可分割的一部分。词汇学习不仅使许多中学生感到吃力，也是其他许多英语学习者的问题所在。所以帮助学生解决这个问题就显得尤为重要。也就是说，英语词汇学习是英语学习中最重要的任务之一。本文对目前中学英语词汇学习境况进行了简要分析，并且指出了导致这一境况的主要的原因，一是缺少正确的指导方法，二是由于词汇学习单调枯燥，学生对于词汇学习不能保持长期的自信心和学习兴趣。继而本文探讨了一种有效的词汇学习策略——精加工策略，在很大程度上能够促进中学英语词汇的教与学。

关键词：中学；英语词汇教学；策略；精加工策略

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. Current Situations of Vocabulary Learning and Causes of Students’ Unsuccessful Vocabulary Learning 2

3.1 Current Situations of Vocabulary Learning 3

3.2 Reasons from Students 3

3.3 Reasons from Teachers 4

4. Elaborative Strategy Used in English Vocabulary Teaching of Middle School 5

4.1 Employing Advanced Organizer Flexibly and Leading in New Concepts by Old Ones 5

4.2 Supplementing Teaching Materials Flexibly 7

4.3 Leading Visual Association Actively 8

5. Conclusion 9

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………...11

1. Introduction

Nowadays, many issues on vocabulary learning have been studied, such as the importance of some direct vocabulary learning techniques and effectiveness of different vocabulary learning strategies. A wide vocabulary is basic in English learning. Students will definitely have trouble in effective communication without a sufficient vocabulary. Therefore, helping students increase their vocabulary effectively becomes an urgent issue. In recent years, so many measures have been taken in English vocabulary learning or teaching, including word list strategy, semantic field strategy, context strategy and so on. Words list strategy enables scholars to learn a lot quickly and efficiently the word, and many words can be long maintained, is to expand the vocabulary of the most intuitive way. The semantic field theory is first proposed by a German scholar J. Tries, referring to the language, certain words can be formed under the domination of a concept of a semantic field. Semantic field strategy is commonly referred to by a subject classification.（Zhang Weiyou，1998:36） For example, under this concept, cat, dog, horse, tiger and other words form a semantic field. Practice has proved that semantic word games and more strategic and long memory. To remember the meaning, it must be in contact with various occasions that the word usually appears in. All the above strategy has their advantages and disadvantages.（Song Ying，2014） The thesis introduced another practical strategy，elaborative strategy，and focused on the use of it. This paper consists of four parts. In the first part, the paper analyzes the current situation of vocabulary learning and teaching in middle school. The second part the paper focuses on causes of unsuccessful vocabulary learning and teaching. The third part the paper studies a practical English vocabulary teaching strategy. The last part is the conclusion of the thesis.

2. Literature Review

The paper discusses an English vocabulary teaching and learning strategy，elaborative strategy. In recent 20 years, elaborative strategy has been used in chemistry, maths, geography, chinese and so on. That is to say, elaborative strategy almost can be used in all subjects to help teacher with their teaching tasks. For example, it can be used in chinese reading. Zhou Guotao and Guo Zhongyin , who all come from Northeast Normal University, have studied the elaborative strategy used in chinese reading from a psychological perspective.（Zhou Guotaoamp;Guo Zhongying，1998：51-52） Zhang Minghong, who comes from East China Normal University, has writed a thesis on elaborative strtegy used in reading teaching of kindergarden in an early stage. Wu Shaohua, who is from Fujian Normal University, has studied the effect of elaborative strategy on English vocabulary learning. He compares elaborative strategy with mechanical strategy and discusses which one is better for students to grasp new words firmly. （Wu Shaohua，2007：31）Uhl F, Lang W, Lingdinger G, and Deecke L have published an essay about elaborative strategy on Neuropsychologia. They discuss elaborative strategy in word pair learning--DC-potential correlates of differential frontal and temporal lobe involvement. （Uhl F, Lang W, Lingdinger amp;G Deecke L，1990）Elaborative strategy is through the careful analysis of learning materials, processing, and to understand its inner meaning and deep into the memory of a strategy to promote.

1. Current Situations of Vocabulary Learning and Causes of Students’ Unsuccessful Vocabulary Learning

Vocabulary is so essential that both students and teachers should pay great attention to it in English learning and teaching. Students must stick to it not only because it is the foundation but also because important skills can be developed while vocabulary learning is carried on. In teaching, strategy is a scientific English teaching method to develop students’ vocabulary quickly and effectively. However, the survey and observations from 300 students in several middle schools show that vocabulary teaching and learning is rather weak in middle schools where there are the largest groups of English learners.

The vocabulary test paper is self-made with the intention of finding out students’ vocabulary size and their grasp of form and meaning of each word listed on the paper. The vocabulary test paper contains 80 words which are picked out at random (words in every 30 out of 1000 words listed in the glossary of the Senior High School English Curriculum Standards (Trial Edition, 2003)). The result shows that students’ vocabulary is very limited. The average of vocabulary is 22 words out of 80 tested words. Students’ awareness of vocabulary learning is weak and most students think vocabulary learning is nothing than tough memorizing work. Overall, too little attention has been paid to vocabulary.

It does not go too far to claim that inadequacy of vocabulary teaching and learning in middle schools leads to a vicious circle. Some students’ big headache and greatest obstacle in English learning is vocabulary development. Because of limited vocabulary, they have serious difficulties with language activities of listening, speaking, reading and writing. As a result, students become less and less interested in English learning. They are discouraged and give it up little by little. Because of lack of repetition and practice, their vocabulary learning becomes even worse and they have greater trouble in later learning.

3.1 Current Situations of Vocabulary Learning

As we all know, favorable English education can help students achieve a rapid development in English. Beyond all question, some students are good at English, while many students are puzzled about and scared of English, especially English vocabulary learning. After four or five years of studying, they still fail to apply English effectively into listening, speaking, reading, writing or translation. Most students have serious problems in learning words. When listening to English, they often can’t understand its meaning; when speaking English, they don’t know how to use words they have learnt before; when writing English, they feel it hard to choose a right word.

3.2 Reasons from Students

While different words may have a same or similar meaning, the same one word may have more than one meaning. This is one of the most difficult problems which trouble many students for a long time.

3.2.1 Being Short of Lasting Confidence and Interest Due to Humdrum.

When students begin to learn English, they are very active. They try their best to learn English at an very early stage. They would not like to fall behind others. So the majority of students can achieve good marks. But the most terrible matter is that about one year or even one term later, they start to lose interest and confidence. Especially after they fail to have an exam or teachers criticize them severely in public. I think the main problem may be the humdrum of English learning, especially words learning. So teachers should think of how to train students’ lasting confidence and interest. That is very important for students to learn vocabulary well.

3.2.2 The Failure of Study International Pronunciation Symbols

English International pronunciation Symbols are very important for students to learn English well. When teachers teach International pronunciation Symbols, students are curious to imitate teachers’ pronunciation. If teachers are not strict with them，Most of students can not read them. Naturally many students can’t read words. After one or two months, their English become worse and worse. So as an English teacher, our most important task is to make sure that most of students can read and write all the International pronunciation Symbols. Even though when students leave school, they also can learn English new words.

3.3 Reasons from Teachers

3.3.1 Lacking of Proper Guidance

It is known that vocabularies play an important role in English teaching. However, vocabulary teaching is unsuccessful in many middle schools. For example, most teachers just focus on grammar because they think grammar should be emphasized more than words. Therefore, they always teach English words mechanically. They don’t think that it is important for students to learning English interestingly and actively. In that case, their teaching methods may be dull and boring inevitably. Some teachers teach words unsystematically, and they only give brief explanations or provide one or two examples. Some teachers just ask students to remember words in the vocabulary list. In fact, teachers should teach students what way to use to remember words. This is very important for both students and teachers.

3.3.2 The Traditional Methods

The traditional teaching methods have affected students deeply. At present, vocabulary teaching mostly follows the traditional pattern, Such as the duck-stuffing method which affected both teachers and students deeply. Teachers are busy teaching students the pronunciation, meanings，and the use of vocabularies, while students are busy listening to their teachers and taking notes. This teaching model is very dull and boring. For middle school students, vocabulary learning becomes a mechanical and rigid process. Little by little students will lose interest and confidence in learning vocabulary.

4. Elaborative Strategy Used in English Vocabulary Teaching of Middle School

4.1 Employing Advanced Organizer Flexibly and Leading in New Concepts by Old Ones

Advanced organizer refers to a kind of introductory material. It should be showed students before new learning Tasks. They are links between new concepts and old ones. According to the level of abstract generalization of advanced organizers, we can divide them into two groups, up-level organizer and down-level organizer. Therefore, it is important to use old knowledge to lead in new concepts.

4.1.1 The Progressive Differentiation Strategy Suitable for Up-level Organizer

[Teaching case1] NSEFC Book3 Unit1 “Festival Around the world”

There is a teaching difficult point in this unit. To make students learn about the origins and existing significance of all kinds of festivals, we can take the last sentence in paragraph 1 of the text for an example “Today’s festivals have many origins, some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events.” In order to make students remember the new words like “origin” “religious” “seasonal” and to consolidate other new words, we can carry out these teaching activities:

T: After reading Paragraph 1, tell me how festivals around the world can be divided according to the way they came into being, I mean, their origins.

S1: Religious, seasonal, and for special people or events.

T: Good job. Now, read the rest of the passage, and divide all the festivals mentioned into these three groups. Also, find the evidences in the text.

(After 2 – minute students’ reading)

S2: Halloween is a religious festival because of its origin in old beliefs about the return of the spirits of dead people.

S3: The Dragon Boat Festival and Columbus Day are festivals for special people or events, because the former honors the famous ancient poet, Qu Yuan while the later is in memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World.

S4: Thanksgiving Festival and Mid-autumn Festival are seasonal festivals, because they are called harvest festival and harvest is what happened in autumn.

S5: Spring Festival is a seasonal festival, because it is the one that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring.(Chen Jun，2014:24)

[Design description]

First, I bring in up-level organizer; we divide the Festivals into three groups, the religious Festival, the Seasonal Festival and the memorable Festival, according to their origins. Then we differentiate the up-level organizers progressively. “What are the religious Festivals?” “What are the Seasonal Festivals?” and “What are the memorable Festivals?” “Whether we can find some proofs in the text.”

According to the text, students divide the Festivals into different groups. Then they adopt progressive generalization strategy. The two processes make students have an intimate knowledge of these new words.

4.1.2 The Progressive Induction Suitable for Down-level Organizer

[Teaching case 2] NSEFC Book2 Unit1 “Cultural Relics”

The part “warming-up” in the text mentions three questions : “① Do you know what a cultural relic is? ② Does a cultural relic always have to be rare and valuable? Is it enough to have survived for a long time? ③ Are cultural relics only objects like vases or can they be buildings too? ” These three questions Contain Some new words. And the last two questions are designed in order to deal with the first problem. In Consideration that “Cultural relics” is an abstract word Comparetively, so we can adopt the progressive induction teaching strategy:

T: Look at the title. Tell me what a cultural relics. In order to answer this question, let’s enioy some pictures. (Present some pictures of rare cultural relics, what do you think of these?

S1: I think there are only a small number of them in the world, and they must be expensive.

T: You mean they are rare and valuable? (Then write “rare” “valuable” on the blackboard) Now, enjoy another group pictures, what do you think of them?

S2: I think they must have a long history.

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